ITV

Category: Digital Agencies

  • WPP’s XM Asia to buy majority stake in Sofresh

    WPP’s XM Asia to buy majority stake in Sofresh

    MUMBAI: WPP’s wholly owned operating company, XM Asia, a JWT company, has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Sofresh, a digital creative agency in Vietnam.

     

    Sofresh, co-founded in 2007 by Ly Viet Vu and Justin Cohen, develops digital strategy, digital creative ideas and marketing campaigns across multiple digital channels, including social media, mobile and the web. The company also designs and builds e-commerce platforms, customer relationship management (CRM) systems and in-store digital installations.

     

    Sofresh works with a range of local and global clients, including Diageo, GSK, Kinh Do, Techcombank and Unilever. Sofresh had revenues of VND 35.7 billion for the year ending 31 December 2013, with gross assets of VND 30.1 billion, as at the same date. The company employs 85 people.

     

    The acquisition marks a further step towards WPP’s declared goal of developing its networks in fast-growth markets and sectors and continues WPP’s strategy of strengthening the Group’s capabilities in digital media. This was an announcement was made in a statement published on the company’s official website.

     

    Sofresh marks WPP’s third acquisition in Vietnam in seven months. In Vietnam, WPP companies (including associates) generate revenues of about $80 million and employ approximately 1,000 people.

    In Asia Pacific, the Group (including associates) generates revenues of $ 5 billion and employ over 48,000 people. Globally, WPP’s digital revenues were over $ 6.0 billion in 2013, representing almost 35 per cent of total Group revenues of $ 17.3 billion. WPP is targeting at least 40-45 per cent of revenues to come from each of fast-growth markets and new media over the next five years.

  • Colgate takes the #Selfie route on digital

    Colgate takes the #Selfie route on digital

    MUMBAI: Red Fuse Communications, WPP’s full-service integrated global agency has designed and implemented an engaging digital campaign for Colgate visible white. Through this campaign, titled ‘visibly white selfie’, the brand aims at communicating that white teeth can enhance one’s smile and hence one’s selfie.

     

    Red Fuse Communications CEO Shubha George said, “We realised that consumers spend a great deal of time on their looks but not on their teeth. Often a beautiful picture with a charming smile is marred by discolored teeth. We wanted to communicate that it is important to make sure that one’s teeth also look their best to complete the beauty regimen.”

     

    Through this campaign the agency will engage with audiences on digital platforms to emphasise how Colgate visible white enhances their selfie, by making their teeth one shade whiter in one week.

     

    The campaign will pose the question ‘Your selfie is incomplete without a picture perfect smile. Are you ready for your best selfie?” across different platform.

     

    In response to this question, users are encouraged to click selfies and upload their best pictures on Colgate India’s Facebook page or through the mobile app. The perfect selfie uploaded will be autographed by Sonam Kapoor. The campaign will conclude on 30th June, 2014

  • Getit Infomedia and To The New introduce ScaleIQ

    Getit Infomedia and To The New introduce ScaleIQ

    MUMBAI: Getit Infomedia, and To The New, have come together to offer market access and strategic mentorship to entrepreneurs through a non-traditional platform – ‘ScaleIQ’.

     

    This unique program aims at providing market access along with a set of seasoned advisors and mentors who are not only a functional fit, but also have in-depth industry knowledge thus helping the entrepreneurs establish themselves in the current competitive ecosystem.

     

    According to the study by Accel India, 1,000 companies across 62 different accelerators and incubators sprung up in India over the last few years, however, only 30 of them took a leap to the next level.  The report states that the key reasons of failure are lack of market access and adequate mentorship. 

     

    ScaleIQ will give them access to the existing consumers, market space, global advisors, infrastructure and technology that will help them reach their goal. It will help established companies that typically have made significant progress in its product or service development and are beginning to engage customers in discussions regarding the testing or purchase of its products and services.

     

    Getit Infomedia CEO Jaspreet Bindra said, “In India, there are only a handful of start-ups who have successfully taken their business to an enterprise level. Through ScaleIQ, we will ensure that we provide the start-ups with the right tools and platform that would help them grow further. ScaleIQ will also provide market access through To The New’s strong presence across Asia Pacific region.”

     

    The partnership between Getit Infomedia and To The New, with field presence across seven countries will provide start-ups access to services and applications such as mobile technology, analytics, marketing technology, video technology and social media.

     

    To The new, managing director Puneet Johar stated, “We are excited about this partnership with Getit.  With ScaleIQ, we can bring together many exciting new technologies and partnerships for the benefits of our clients. In turn, the young start-ups will benefit greatly with access to clients across different locations in Asia Pacific.”

     

    “ScaleIQ is a start-up market access platform for fresh entrepreneurs to launch their ideas. With To the new as our partner, we plan to provide vast exposure to start-ups, which will help them gain global outlook. We will work closely with them to mentor them basis their requirements and facilitate access to industry experts and coaches,” explained ScaleIQ Partner Chetan Bhargava.

     

    ScaleIQ will provide all the relevant elements to ensure sustainable growth for the start-ups. To The New’s innovative digital solutions would help start-ups pave the way for offering future services and global exposure will accelerate their growth. Over the next six- nine months, ScaleIQ plans to expand across Asia Pacific Regions to explore the vast start-up ecosystem.

     

    “This program will also be focused on helping start-ups go to the market by giving them access to the best-in-class technology, our existing customers and the market space to succeed. This program has been created as fully integrated solution for budding start-ups to help them develop further and leap onto the next stage,” added Bhargava.

  • LinTeractive adds Dabur Healthcare & Foods to its kitty

    LinTeractive adds Dabur Healthcare & Foods to its kitty

    MUMBAI: Dabur India has appointed LinTeractive, the digital division from Lowe Lintas + Partners to handle digital duties for its Dabur healthcare and foods division. Some of the company’s leading products that will be handled by LinTeractive include Dabur Honey, Dabur Chyawanprash, Dabur Shilajit. Along with this the agency will handle two other product web portals.

     

    On bringing on aboard LinTeractive as the digital AoR Dabur executive vice president – marketing (healthcare and foods) Krishan Kumar Chutani said, “Our association with Lowe Lintas + Partners has been a successful one. They’ve understood the core insights integral to our product offerings and have delivered solutions that have made us stand out in the marketplace. As we seek to extend our reach onto the digital platform, it was only apt that we hand over the reins to our trusted partner to bring us the desired results on the medium. We look forward to some forward-thinking solutions from LinTeractive that will help our brands stay ahead of the curve.”

     

    LinTeractive will be offering capabilities including search, social, web, mobile, monitoring, analytics and campaign activation.

     

    Lowe Lintas + Partners head of LinTeractive and CMO Vikas Mehta said, “Our decade-long association with Dabur has been a mutually rewarding journey for both of us. We are excited that LinTeractive has been entrusted with the mandate of creating interaction-marketing solutions for the healthcare products and platforms. We are keen on partnering Dabur in building their digital capabilities as we co-create digital success stories for their brands.”

  • Ignitee Digital launches Social IQ

    Ignitee Digital launches Social IQ

    MUMBAI: Ignitee Digital, a To The New group company, has announced the launch of Social IQ, an integrated social CRM offering.

     

    The solution is designed to enable brands to harness the power of social media beyond advertising and derive tangible business performance.

     

    Ignitee Digital CEO Atul Hegde said, “The penetration of social media across all demographics of consumers has created a huge opportunity for brands and organisations to use social media for business. To The New developed Social IQ after much research and feedback and Ignitee Digital is well positioned to deliver this using our innovative SMACK services and proprietary technology platform.”

     

    Social IQ’s business framework offers an industry-leading bouquet of 25 end-to-end social CRM use cases ranging from strategy, engagement, response management, creative, content and analytics, underpinned through a strong layer of technology. Social IQ will leverage social platforms to empower various business functions including product innovation, sales & marketing and customer experiences, as brands seek to become more relevant to the social and mobile first consumer.

     

    To The New is bringing this solution across APAC markets through its group companies, Techsailor in Singapore and Ignitee Digital in India.

  • Brands need to be honest, says Digital Law & Kenneth’s Anil Nair

    Brands need to be honest, says Digital Law & Kenneth’s Anil Nair

    MUMBAI: Those in the habit of not taking digital agencies seriously may want to do a rethink on that one, given the sheer number of campaigns being recognised at various industry events and awards ceremonies.

     

    A case in point is Digital Law & Kenneth, whose campaign fetched it the top honours at the recently concluded GoaFest.

     

    In conversation with indiantelevision.com, the agency’s CEO and managing partner Anil K Nair spills the beans on the award winning campaign, the changing digital ecosystem, the future and everything in between…

     

    How have marketers’ demands from social changed in recent years?

     

    Marketers have realised the growing power of social if done the right way. After having dabbled with social through its initial adoption, marketers are now looking at advanced uses of social i.e. lead generation, CRM, crowd sourcing, trend forecasting and the like.

     

    Elaborate on the Tata Capital ‘Half stories- The journey of doing right’ campaign that fetched you the Grand Pix at GoaFest?

     

    The Tata Capital ‘Half Stories’ campaign was a magical one. A campaign devised to bring alive the core proposition of “We do what’s right for you”.

     

    It was a crowd sourced, live action, social media reality show that travelled all the way from Dharamsala to Guwahati. All through this serendipitous drive, we discovered Half Stories of fortitude, courage and hope. We then invited people to participate in making the “Half Stories” of these courageous people complete by donating, supporting or simply popularising the cause on social media and through their networks.

     

    The idea was to inspire people to ‘Do Right’ by demonstrating the effect of philanthropy first hand.

     

    With the digital category grabbing attention at industry events like GoaFest, what do you think agencies should keep in mind to be consistent and innovative?

     

    There are opportunities galore for brands to meaningfully engage with their consumers. Agencies need to be alert to such passing opportunities and be ready to grab them with both hands. Also, agencies and clients need to create an infrastructure and ecosystem to be able to have a real time dialogue with their fans and consumers.

     

    What are the key things that brands should keep in mind to build a healthy social conversation?

     

    Brands need to be honest and use their heart more than their brain. Also, the conversation has to be about the consumer rather than the brand.

     

    What according to you makes a ‘hit’ campaign on social media?

     

    If you can make the idea shareable, you would have hit the jackpot.

     

    How do you think the Indian digital ecosystem will shape up in coming years?

     

    I am very gung ho about the way our digital ecosystem is shaping up. Expect many more path-breaking campaigns across brands in the times to come. Our general digital market ecosystem is fast attaining some level of maturity which will hopefully see a lot of mature work which goes beyond traditional banner innovations and Sholay rip-offs.

     

    How has the year 2014 been for Digital Law & Kenneth so far?

     

    It’s been fantastic. Our hard work over the last few years has paid off. We have a young vibrant team that lives and breathes digital while understanding traditional brand building frameworks. We have some really interesting campaigns lined up that will see the light of day in the months to come.

     

    What is on top of your wish list for the months to come?

     

    A world beating case study, a few Effies and Cannes, happy clients and, a super happy team – that’s all I wish for. Touche.

  • CNBC Awaaz hunts for a digital agency

    CNBC Awaaz hunts for a digital agency

    MUMBAI: Looks like news channels are not only focusing to revamp content but are also looking at revising their marketing strategies.

     

    CNBC Awaaz is currently in the process of scouting for a digital partner. Industry sources have confirmed that the multi agency pitch is underway in Delhi. The size of the account could not be understood at the time of filing the report. According to sources, the news channel is looking at refreshing its social media presence. Currently, the channel has around 67,928 likes on Facebook and over 20,600 followers on Twitter. It can be noted that the popular shows of the channel have separate profiles on social media. The channel internally too has an active social media team.

     

    In another development, Zee News has called for a creative pitch which is also underway in Delhi. The incumbent agency on Zee News’ account is Bang in the Middle. It is understood that the news channels want to bring on board boutique agencies because of tight budgets.

     

    It will be interesting to see how both channels smartly revise their marketing strategies to grab the attention of viewers across multiple screens in the coming days.

  • Digital movie marketing takes centre stage at Media Abby’s 2014

    Digital movie marketing takes centre stage at Media Abby’s 2014

    MUMBAI: Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, South Asia’s largest digital entertainment and marketing company has been awarded a Gold Abby at the recently concluded Media Abby’s 2014. The company was awarded the “Best Use of Social Media” title for the social media campaign of Krrish 3, the biggest Indian superhero franchise.

     

    With digital movie marketing taking centre stage at the Media Abby’s, the Krrish 3 campaign won accolades for attaining the highest reach any Bollywood movie has ever achieved across digital platforms along with several other firsts. 

     

    To create a stir across digital platforms for the biggest superhero franchise in India, Hungama adopted a multi-pronged approach to expose every digital consumer to the movie and its various facets by creating a Krrish 3 website, a digital motion poster, social game, motion comic and mobile app along with using social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.

     

    On social media, Krrish 3 set new benchmarks in movie marketing by reaching out to 63 million fans across the globe, in addition to –

     

    • Being the first Bollywood movie page to be verified on Facebook with nearly 35 lakh ’Likes’

     

    • Right from the Facebook Live Chat with Krrish 3 actors to the release of digital comics, Facebook played an instrumental role in providing fans with information about Krrish 3

     

    • The film’s lead actor’s live chat had participation from 4.15 lakh fans from nearly 60 Countries

     

    • Krrish 3 also became the first Indian movie to have a collection of Facebook stickers

    With more than 45,000 followers, Hungama created a unique campaign on Twitter as well

     

    • For the first time ever, Twitter users were asked to use their tweet-power to break a virtual wall that would unveil the first look of the much-awaited movie

     

    • The campaign kicked off with the film’s lead actor Hrithik Roshan tweeting about the #Krrish3FirstLook contest. Every tweet helped to break a brick, thereby giving a sneak peak of the first look

     

    •  The activity received over 2 lakh tweets in four days and trended worldwide for 3 consecutive days

     

    • The digital poster unveiling on Twitter achieved over 6 lakh views in just 3 days.

     

    The Bollywood blockbuster was the first Indian movie to tie-up with Apple’s iTunes. iTunes had a separate destination page set up for Krrish 3, thereby increasing the reach. While, on YouTube, the theatrical trailer of Krrish 3 gained more than 12 million views within 10 days of its launch, beating the international record of several Hollywood films.

     

    The Krrish 3 social game, developed in association with Microsoft, Hungama and Gameshastra, let users relive the superhero’s life; perform stunts and use gadgets and weapons to eliminate enemies. It became the most widely downloaded free game in the India with over 2 million global downloads on the Google Play Store and Apple iTunes Store.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Neeraj Roy, MD & CEO, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment said, “Krrish 3 was one of the biggest Bollywood films of 2013. The film was highly anticipated and tapping on to the enthusiasm, we at Hungama, created an extensive digital & social media campaign for the film. The campaign bagging the Gold award at Media Abby’s 2014 is very prestigious for us. To be awarded for the unique concepts assures us that digital movie marketing has a great scope and the digital medium is vital today in order to reach out to a broader audience.”

     

    Delighted at the win, Hrithik Roshan said, “”We tried to use the social media to the max while promoting Krrish3 and I am really happy today that the campaign has bagged a Gold win at the Prestigious ABBY Goa Fest. I would like to thank our digital partners Team Hungama and Team Exceed for ideating the same and working in tandem to make Krrish3’s social media campaign a powerful one.” 

     

    In addition to Krrish 3, Hungama Digital has recently worked on the digital campaigns for movies like Sholay 3D and Kochadaiiyaan The Legend.

  • Tangerine Digital launches Analytics Driven Content Solution for FMCG Industry

    Tangerine Digital launches Analytics Driven Content Solution for FMCG Industry

    NEW DELHI : Tangerine Digital, India’s leading digital content solutions provider, a part of TO THE NEW ecosystem, has announced the launch of its Analytics Driven Content Services to aid FMCG companies enhance their customer engagement across digital platforms. The offering is backed by analytics that will drive FMCG brand’s content strategy. Tangerine Digital has expanded its existing range of services across the content marketing spectrum from content creation, content management, content aggregation and crowd sourcing services to analytics for content strategy.

     

    A study from Twitter reveals that consumers nowadays want customized content to be shared on social media and seek more than just product information online. Also, a similar study from Hubspot has stated that consumers are more confident when they watch a product video prior to making a purchase online and are less likely to return that product.

     

    With this launch, Tangerine Digital will now enable brands in the FMCG industry in India with product descriptions, photo shoots, user generated content, expert reviews and ratings, celebrity feeds, FMCG blogs and articles, blogger outreach program.

     

    Mr. Kesavan Kanchi Kandadai, CEO, Tangerine Digital  stated, “It has become extremely important to cater the digitally aware consumer as online sales are playing a significant role. Our product launch for the FMCG sector is a step to boost the ever evolving digital ecosystem that will help the end consumer to make informed choices. Now, brands can also decode the online choices by customized analytics solution and can cater respected choices of the consumer. We are sure that this space will see a significant penetration with our product offering.”

     

    Tangerine Digital has an array of renowned clients across sectors and is now aggressively focusing on growing the business in the FMCG segment. According to a new report by Waggener Edstrom Communications released in January 2014, an astonishing 97% of the Indians surveyed follow their favorite brands on social media.

     

    To further enhance this content offering, Tangerine Digital has:

     

    • Signed up with more than 300 publications, whose digital content is readily available to be syndicated
    • A network of more than 1000 FMCG bloggers that can help enhance brand presence
    • More than 25 in-house FMCG content creators to create content in multi-formats for web mobile and social media
    • Served to more than 5 top brands in the FMCG industry
    • Crowdsourcing capabilities through creation of unique Whatsapp and WeChat experiences

     

  • V-Guard’s appoints RAPP India as its digital agency

    V-Guard’s appoints RAPP India as its digital agency

    Mumbai: Consumer electrical and electronics company, V-Guard, has appointed RAPP India as its digital agency.

     

    RAPP India’s mandate will be to plan strategic initiatives for V-Guard on digital while managing its end-to-end digital and social media presence. The account will be handled by RAPP India’s Gurgaon office.

     

    On winning the account, RAPP India president Venkat Mallik said, “What excites us about V-Guard is the team’s vision and leadership in the Consumer Electronics Category. We’re absolutely thrilled to partner with them in their journey towards becoming a company with a highly diversified portfolio & national presence. Digital will play a huge role in this journey. The mandate for us is to make this category exciting for consumers. Digital can help us do this while we continue to build on V-Guard’s leadership position.”

     

    V-Guard’s corporate communications head Nandagopal Nair said,” V-Guard is in the process of building its digital ecosystem for the brand; it was important to align with an Agency who understands the complexities and challenges of the brand as well as the environment we operate in. RAPP brings a sharp, insightful digital thinking which would help build the V-Guard brand in the Digital space and partner us in this journey. RAPP was able to demonstrate their capability with a well thought through, cohesive strategy on what the brand needs to do in a laddered manner in the digital environment.”